BFW update Magazine Oct - Dec 2013

(Clockwise from top left) BFW logos over the years, a cutout of the current logo,
Mr NN Upadhyay, Mr Haigreve Khaitan, Mr Ajit Khandelwal, Mr Shailesh Sheth,
Smt PD Kothari and Shri Arun Kothari
BFW Becomes A 100% Kothari Group Company
NN Upadhyay, BFW, Bangalore
July 2013 was a rain-drenched month for the
garden city of Bangalore. The sky largely remained
overcast. The showers blessed more than once almost everyday. Greenery abounded, temperature
dropped. Dams, barren just a few days ago, got filled
almost to the brim.
BFW customers are spread across Italy, Germany,
France, Netherlands, Oman, Russia, Sri Lanka, Saudi
Arabia, UAE and Thailand. The Kothari Group is keen
on ensuring that BFW materialises its vision of being
among the world’s top twenty machine tool manufacturers by 2020.
It was on such a typical day in July 2013, when the
BFW directors met to consider an extraordinary
agenda. After holding the majority of shares for several years, the Kothari Group was contemplating to
buy all remaining shares to become the sole owner of
Bharat Fritz Werner.
The directors saw merit in Kothari Group’s aspiration,
and finally the resolution was passed. BFW is now not
only a 100% Indian company, it is a 100% Kothari
Group company. The `2,000 crore Kothari Group
owns more than twenty companies dealing in pharmaceuticals, healthcare, tea plantation, yarn weaving
and engineering.
For the uninitiated, BFW was incorporated in 1961
as a joint venture with Germany’s Fritz Werner
Werkzeugmaschinen. For more than 40 years part of
BFW ownership remained in the hands of the Germans. Later, financial institutions such as IL&FS and Kotak Private Equity acquired some shares.
BFW grew many folds in recent years.
Though a large client base exists in India,
The reconstituted BFW Board consists of Shri AK Kothari as the chairman and Smt PD Kothari, Mr Shailesh
Sheth, Mr Ajit Khandelwal and Mr Haigreve Khaitan
as directors. I continue to serve the Board as a whole
time director. The development augurs well for customers and associates, as the entire might of the Kothari Group is now available with no distractions to
support BFW’s efforts towards all-round success.
2
BFW Update, October – December 2013
From the
Chairman’s
Desk
BFW has been selected for an award for outstanding export performance in the year 2011-12.
The award comes from EEPC India, a body supported
by the Ministry of Commerce & Industry of the Government of India. BFW gets the ‘Silver Shield for Star
Performer – Large Enterprise’. I thank all customers
and congratulate all associates on the achievement.
BFW is trying innovative ways to build quality products with less resources. The company has succeeded
in optimising inventory and improving upon the inventory turns. BFW has also succeeded in curbing expenditure and costs to a great extent. Participation
at events has been drastically reduced. The customary conferences are being held in a modest manner.
We are rationalising the outgo on imports as well, but
Mail
due to unfavourable changes in exchange
rates, the success on that front is not spectacular. We have sought greater support from
international suppliers.
The efforts remind me of a shair (Urdu couplet)
the founding Chairman of Kothari Group Shriyut
Giridhar Dasji Kothari told one of the BFW officials decades ago - Is Tarah Tai Ki Hain Hamne
Manzilein; Gir Pare, Gir Kar Uthe, Uth Kar Chale
– meaning, my way of reaching the destinations
has been a stumble, gathering up myself, and
walking again towards the goal!
I am confident the times ahead would be promising. My best wishes on the festive season!
AK Kothari
Chairman
Can you include latest trends and their incorporation on latest BFW machines?
S Muralidharan, L&T, Bangalore
BFW knee type milling machines continue to perform well in quality and accuracy for the past one
year.
Mukesh Parekh, Lubi Industries LLP, Ahmedabad
BFW knee type milling machines continue to perform well in a consistent manner for the past twoand-a-half years.
Manish K Doshi, International Equipments, Mumbai
I express my deepest gratitude to Bharat Fritz Werner for the scholarship. This award goes a long
way in helping me both economically and in terms of the confidence it instilled in me to achieve more.
Siddharth Swaminathan, IIT Madras
I thank Bharat Fritz Werner for giving me the prestigious scholarship and the certificate. This scholarship will inspire me to work harder and better at UC Berkeley where I am headed to do a PhD.
Sujay Desai, IIT Bombay
BFW is on Facebook! Visit us at www.facebook.com/bharatfritz.werner.
BFW Update, October – December 2013
3
Jagruti, A Cluster Programme For Vendors
P Venkataraman, BFW, Bangalore
(Clockwise from left) Mr Pardoshkumar (L) of SET receives from
Mr NN Upadhyay Plaque for Best Housekeeping; Best Productivity Project Award is collected by Mr Vel Murugan (R)
of Magnum Machine Tools from Mr HK Birla; Mr Mohan (L) of
Shivashakthi Systems receives the Gem of BFW Trophy from
Mr NN Upadhyay.
Off late, the word ‘cluster’ is being extensively used in economic and
business parlance. Cluster is
a group of companies sharing local resources, using similar technologies, and forming linkages and alliances. These linkages
can take the shape of buyer-supplier
relationship, joint marketing, training or
research initiative, and association.
In the manufacturing sector, cluster refers to
a group of interconnected companies or firms
producing similar or related set of goods or services. It is a combined home of innovation working synergistically to achieve an economic goal.
The key strength of clusters lies in deriving synergies and providing a platform for collaborative
problem-solving and best-practice-sharing
amongst the stake holders.
BFW is one of the early birds to recognise the importance and power of
the cluster. Jagruti (the awakening), the
BFW initiative, is aimed at realising Vision 2020
through a cluster programme for supply partners
in the same value chain. Each cluster member of
Jagruti is groomed in a personalised and focussed
manner to stand up to the challenges of the NextGen standards of excellence and the BFW requirements under global standards of excellence.
Mobilising necessary resources in terms of experience, expertise and committed people, Jagruti was
launched in September 2012. The first batch consisted of twelve vendors, cutting across product
ranges based on criticality. These vendors were
imparted education and training on housekeeping, quality
tools and techniques, and problem solving methodologies through classroom sessions and onsite demonstrations. The significance
of achieving excellence in quality, cost
and delivery was also stressed upon.
Personalised attention was given to
each Jagruti member, whenever needed.
As Jagruti gained momentum, each member
made presentation before the Apex Review
Committee. The Committee visited the vendor installation and offered guidance. By the end of
May 2013, Jagruti had successfully completed its
first phase, carving a jewel out of each member.
Jagruti members were proud and happy to
share their productivity projects in the concluding programme on June 22 this
year, walking away with recognition and
awards. The Gem of BFW award for all
round excellence was bestowed
upon Shivashakthi Systems.
The synopses of the projects are under screening at
the Indian Machine Tool Manufacturers’ Association
for the IMTMA-Siemens Productivity Championship
Award under the SME stream. BFW will sponsor the
selected projects at the finals of IMTMA-Siemens
National Productivity Summit Championship scheduled in Pune later this year.
Jagruti has begun its second phase – the awakening is spreading.
4
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BFW Update, October – December 2013
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Glimpses
BFW Update, October – December 2013
5
(Clockwise from top) The Mysore Horticultural
Society bestows the Special Outstanding
Prizes Award upon BFW for its gardens at the
horticultural show in August 2013.
Hands-on training at International Tractors,
Hoshiarpur, in July 2013.
Mr Sujay Desai (inset), an M Tech in Microelectronics at IIT Bombay, wins the BFW scholarship in July 2013. Mr Desai is headed for a
PhD at the University of California, Berkeley.
6
BFW Update, October – December 2013
GACL - The Wide Basket of Offerings
DK Sharda, Gillanders Arbuthnot & Co Ltd, Kolkata
(Clockwise from top left) A MICCO project; textile carding machines; the chemical plant; the GACL tea estate, and the rice husk
based power plant at GACL, Akbarpur.
THE POWER SEAT OF WEST Bengal lies housed in the
sprawling brick-red Writers’ Building on BBD Bagh,
the business hub of Kolkata. Not far from the Writers’
Building stands Gillander House – a heritage structure of arches, wrought-iron gates, imposing pillars,
and high roofs. The iconic Gillander House spreads
into six blocks, accommodating over a hundred business establishments.
Gillander House is the property of a Kothari Group
company, Gillanders Arbuthnot and Company Limited (GACL). The more than 75-year old GACL has a
wide basket of offerings ranging from engineering,
textile, chemicals to tea.
MICCO, the engineering division of GACL, is the recipient of the Star Performer Award from the Engineering
Export Promotion Council of India. MICCO conducts
turnkey execution of projects in structurals, tankages,
pipings, blast furnaces, re-heating furnaces, industrial furnaces, cold rolling mills, continuous casting machines, gas holders, coke oven battery projects, etc.
GACL yarn plants in West Bengal and Punjab,
with a combined capacity of 1,30,000 spinning spindles, produce a wide range of grey and
dyed yarns in cotton, polyester, acrylic, viscose,
bamboo and associated blends. GACL’s captive
6.5 MW rice husk based power plant at Akbarpur
in Punjab is registered under Clean Development
Mechanism, an initiative of the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change.
The chemical division of GACL, under the brand
‘Waldies’, manufactures lead oxide and stabilisers for the PVC industry. The Waldies product
range includes red lead ordinary, red lead nonsetting, litharge, white lead, tribasic lead sulphate,
lead stearate, dibasic lead stearate, dibasic lead
phthalate, one pack additives and barium/cadmium stearate.
GACL produces about ten million kilogrammes of
tea every year. Tea Board, the apex body for
the tea industry in India, has on several occasions
appreciated the superiority of GACL tea. GACL’s
black tea segment comprises both CTC and orthodox tea. The packet tea is available under the
brand names of KPI, Mayur and Gillarco. Ecofriendly fertiliser is used on the six thousand hectare tea estates of GACL.
GACL markets many products under the ‘Gillarco’ brand. The company trades paints, construction chemicals, painting equipment, paint brushes,
abrasive sheets, adhesives, chemicals, etc.
BFW Update, October – December 2013
7
Gray
Matter
Corner
“KANGAROO CANNOT HOP WITH ITS tail tied
up! It swings its tail to balance its body while hopping” – wrote Mr Suryanarayana Murty while
sending the correct answer to the puzzle published
in the last edition. Mr S Muralidharan from L&T
Bangalore also submitted the correct answer. A
response was also received from Mr Y Murali, Francis
Klein, Bangalore.
We at BFW believe in protecting nature. Once,
when on a picturesque beach, I saw a tiny bird flitting on a tree. Not far away, a snake watched it
with interest. Perhaps more snakes lay there hidden
from my eyes. The tree trunk had many holes. God
knows what came to its mind, and the playful bird
entered an almost vertical hole. The snake made
a slow movement towards the tree. I threw some
sand over it, and the snake started waiting for me
to clear the scene. I checked the hole with a torch.
It must have been less than three inches in diameter
and about three feet in depth. Due to the depth
of the hole, I could not reach the bird by hand.
There was no stick or any other material of that
length available nearby, and leaving the place
would have meant offering the bird in dinner to
the snake.
Had you been in my position, how would you have
rescued the bird from the hole? Please send your
response to [email protected].
Registered with the Office of the Registrar of Newspapers of India under number KARENG/2000/05683 dated 19 September, 2006
Kirloskar Ferrous Appreciates BFW SPMs
E Venugopal, BFW, Bangalore
KFIL, based at Hospet in Karnataka and Solapur in
Maharashtra, is a leading producer of pig iron, grey
iron castings, special grade iron castings, and steel
investment castings. KFIL products are primarily used
on light and medium commercial vehicles, tractors,
and diesel engines. Many well-reputed OEMs are
KFIL customers.
The cylinder block line consists of four special
machines, while the cylinder head line has five SPMs.
Averaging and sizing of cast components is
performed on these lines, after which the components
are fed directly into the finishing machines at the Hino
plant. The arrangement eliminates inspection of castings and outsourcing of manufacturing by Hino.
Hino, the largest heavy-and-medium-duty truck manufacturer of Japan is a key KFIL customer for cylinder
blocks and cylinder head castings. As Hino signed
a contract with KFIL for semi-finished products, KFIL
selected BFW for the supply of the production lines
for these two items.
Hino, KFIL and BFW set this milestone through
exemplary co-ordination and understanding.
The fixture concept for averaging is one of the
shining examples of the innovative results
reached through the co-operation. Contributions
from KFIL’s Mr SM Joshi, General Manager – Machine Shop, and Mr Sanjay Gaikwad, Senior General Manager – Materials & Marketing, deserve
special mention.
The entire project, consisting of the production
lines and the interconnecting component conveyor
system, was commissioned within 8-9 months on
schedule this year.
BFW wishes Hino and KFIL great success!
The views and opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of Bharat Fritz Werner Limited. While effort has been made to ensure the accuracy
of the information published in this edition, neither Bharat Fritz Werner nor any of its employees accept any responsibility for any errors or omissions.
Printed by T Babu Mahadev Prasad at Legal Times, No. 191, Yeshwanthpur Circle Cross, Bangalore 560022
and published by Amitabh Varma on behalf of Bharat Fritz Werner Limited. Editor: Amitabh Varma, Head Marketing Services.
Website: www.bfwindia.com; Toll-free: 18004253332
bfwkanaka092013
July 29 this year was a remarkable day for
BFW’s Special Machines Division. It was on this day
when Kirloskar Ferrous Industries Limited (KFIL) formally appreciated BFW’s Special Machines Division;
and the KFIL Managing Director Mr RV Gumaste
handed over an award to Mr Praful Shende of BFW.